


Solace

by Asdrator



Category: Fire Emblem: Soen no Kiseki/Akatsuki no Megami | Fire Emblem Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn
Genre: Angst, Comedy, Drama, F/M, Fluff, Modern AU, Romance, University AU, mentioned Reyson/Tibarn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-22
Updated: 2020-05-22
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:21:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24317221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Asdrator/pseuds/Asdrator
Summary: Rafiel and Nailah, two professors at a university in Begnion, have been the best of friends for several years now. However, unbeknownst to each other, both have developed feelings for the other. When a miscommunication upsets both, their friends and family guide them back to each other.
Relationships: Naesala/Leanne (Fire Emblem), Nailah/Rafiel (Fire Emblem), Prague | Petrine/Tiamat | Titania
Comments: 2
Kudos: 17





	Solace

Nailah/Rafiel university fic

The soft patter of raindrops against glass was all that Nailah heard in the quiet, mostly empty cafe. She scrolled through her text messages with Rafiel, leaning her head against her hand out of boredom. It wasn’t unusual for him to be late, but it sure did make things boring on a slow paced day like this. With Rafiel around, life was never boring; between his excellent advice and wild creativity, as well as his own obliviousness to danger, there was always something new around the corner. Nailah found him to be the most fascinating person she’d ever met, and she’d met quite a few fascinating people since moving to this city.

Feeling the eyes of the cafe owner on her, Nailah rolled her eyes and twitched her ears in annoyance. Sure, wolf laguz weren’t a common sight around here- they were exceedingly rare, in fact- but it was like some people had never been taught that it was rude to stare. Though, considering how backwards this country was, with hatred between Beorc and Laguz still prominent, she supposed that it wouldn’t be too surprising if they had, in fact, never been taught that. Turning back to her phone messages, Nailah was just about to send a message to Rafiel asking him where he was when a voice called out to her. “Hello, Nailah!” As she looked over with her good eye, the speaker was revealed to be Rafiel himself, completely soaked by the rain and carrying something she couldn’t quite make out in his hands. An unusually attractive man, his glossy golden hair and light green eyes complemented his white tunic perfectly. The only reminders to beorc of his laguz nature were his pointed ears, which he usually kept hidden under his hair to avoid attracting unwanted attention, and his wings, usually kept folded against his back, though somebody who knew what herons looked like such as Nailah could still spot them easily. In contrast, despite wearing beorc clothing such as a suit and tie, and keeping her tattoos covered and her claws sheathed, a beorc could recognize her as a laguz without even trying. At the very least, unlike the physically weak Rafiel, she had the ability to actually defend herself against unwanted attention, so it wasn’t all bad

Moving quickly, Nailah got up and opened the cafe door, allowing Rafiel to come in without having to struggle with it. “Hah... thank you, Nailah!” He said cheerily. “Sorry for making you wait, it took longer than I thought to pick flowers out.” Now that he was closer, Nailah got a closer look at what he was carrying in his hands. It was a bouquet of flowers, a wide array of beautiful colors contained within. “Are those for me?” Nailah asked sincerely, not sure of whether she wanted them to be. Feeling almost nervous, she unconsciously cuff of her suit.

“For you? Oh, no, my apologies, I wasn’t clear. I got asked to buy these by Reyson, he loves plants soooo much! I think he’d make an excellent florist or botanist, don’t you?” Rafiel explained, quickly derailing into rambling about his little brother. Having heard about both him and Rafiel’s little sister Leanne about a hundred times each, Nailah rolled her eyes but smiled, though she found herself more disappointed than she had expected that the flowers weren’t for her. It was nice just to see a heron happy, these days; Reyson still distrusted beorc, and Leanne remained fearful of them. It wasn’t like Nailah could blame them. Only 23 years earlier the military of this country had carried out the Serenes Massacre, killing most laguz of the heron tribe in the country over the course of a week. The government had condemned the action, of course, and tried the leaders, but everyone knew it was a sham, and the acquittal of the leaders only proved it. Rafiel, Reyson, and Leanne were among the few survivors, but somehow, Nailah had never seen Rafiel be down about it. It made her wonder whether he truly didn’t let it affect him, or was just pretending to be stronger than he was.

“Ah, Nailah?” At Rafiel’s words she snapped out of her thoughts and back to attention. “Leanne wanted me to ask you something and I realized I’d never even thought about it. What happened to your eye?” He didn’t have to specify which eye, because they both knew he meant the one she never opened, the one with three large scars running through it. It was a question she got often, and Nailah had indeed wondered why throughout all their years of friendship Rafiel had never been the one asking it. However, the reason being that he had simply never thought of the question more than made sense; it was just like him. It was amazing that Rafiel could have a PhD and still be this much of an airhead.

“I got into a fight with another member of the wolf tribe when I was younger.” Nailah explained. “I’ve told you how, back when I still lived in Hatari, I fought people in matches for money, right?” At Rafiel’s eager nod, she continued. “Well, in one match, I was on the verge of winning, when the damned bastard broke the rules and took my eye out with his claw. That match made me enough money to finally attend university here, so I took Volug and left, and never looked back. Which I have half the ability to do now.” She chuckled at her own joke, something she had rather a bad habit of. 

Predictably, the joke flew right over Rafiel’s head, and he looked genuinely heartbroken by the story. “I’m so sorry to hear that...” His voice was gentle, almost as fragile as he was. “Oh, dear... I can’t imagine what you went through. Thank you for telling me, Nailah.” In response, she just smiled in amusement. Rafiel really did worry too much about her. About everyone, really, but it felt nice when it was about her, for some reason.

“I bet Leanne will enjoy hearing all that.” Nailah commented teasingly. Though really she was only half-joking; Leanne was much tougher than her brothers, if you asked anyone but them. Right on cue, Rafiel’s shocked gasp proved her right.

“Oh, I could never!” Rafiel exclaimed. “She’s much too young to hear a bloody story like yours.” His voice quieted down, though it still had a horrified tone. “What if she hurts somebody? I would never be able to forgive myself.”

Nailah snorted, rolling her eyes. “Rafiel, your sister is nearly a hundred years old. She’s an adult now. She’s started university. She’s capable of exercising self control. Don’t be so dramatic, ok? Leanne is a very wise young woman.” Rafiel, at first shocked as though his little sister growing up was some big revelation, then hummed in agreement. With a sympathetic smile, Nailah stared into Rafiel’s pretty green eyes as a moment of silence passed between them, almost being able to understand his inability to think of Leanne as an adult. Nailah herself had been surprised by how fast Volug had grown up, after all.

“Now, let’s get started, shall we? I called you here to talk about you, after all, not me or somebody else.” Nailah started talking again before Rafiel could get back to talking about his siblings, taking out her notebook and pen from her bag as she did so. She did wish that this was truly professional, but the fact was that it wasn’t. Interrogating colleagues wasn’t exactly in the job description of a professor of psychology like her. This was mainly a matter of her own personal curiosity. Between their astoundingly long lifespans and their rarity (and Rafiel’s own eccentricity), herons had become something of a personal interest to her, driving her to take notes on the surviving ones. Since Lehran, by far the oldest living heron, had politely turned down her request for an interview, she had no choice but to turn to Rafiel, the second oldest living heron at just over two hundred years old. Not that she minded much, though, since it meant she had another opportunity to look at his gorgeous face.

“For my first question, I know that you’re a professor of the Ancient Language, but do you enjoy your work?” Nailah asked, studying his face for a reaction. Said reaction arrived as he spoke, his face immediately lighting up.

“Oh! Yes, I enjoy it very much. It’s an engaging subject that I’ve always been interested in, the students are so interested in learning, and to top it all off, my fellow professors are so kind to me.” Rafiel answered, before continuing to go on about his work. It brought a small smile to Nailah’s face; the only thing that made him happier than talking about his work was talking about his family, it seemed. If she didn’t know better, she’d almost say that she felt... jealous.

As soon as Rafiel stopped to catch his breath, Nailah cleared her throat. “It’s time for the second question, Rafiel.” She laughed softly for a moment at his slightly embarrassed look for having rambled on. “I already know they live with you, but what are the jobs and hobbies of your siblings?”

“Let’s see... Rafiel is in a band, and according to Leanne they’re quite good, though their music is too loud for me to handle so I’ll just take her word for it.” Indeed, Rafiel looked like he could shatter from a strong gust of wind, so that information wasn’t too surprising to Nailah. “He enjoys music a lot, just like Leanne and I, only more so. Oh, and as I mentioned, he enjoys gardening. I learn a new plant fact every other day thanks to him.” Rafiel sounded both amused and proud when saying that. “As for Leanne, she’s currently unemployed, but she enjoys cooking so I’ve been teaching her everything I know. Oh, and she’s great at chess too, I haven’t come close to beating her in at least a decade. Maybe two, possibly three. The years start to run together after a while, you understand.” She did understand, in fact, having lived over a century herself, but for some other reason she could not- no, didn’t want to- explain, Rafiel’s gentle laugh at the downsides of his own long life just then tugged at her heart and made her feel a sort of longing.

“...Er, next question.” Nailah continued, forcing herself back to reality. “Where do your parents live and what do they do?”

Rafiel’s smile grew thin quickly. “My mother doesn’t live anywhere or do much of anything, seeing as she died at Serenes.” Oh. Well, that was an unfortunate start. As Nailah began to regret her choice of questions, Rafiel continued, a sad glimmer passing through his eyes. “My father survived and lives with me, but he hasn’t left his bed and barely speaks since. Even all these years later, he’s still living in that week in Serenes, unable to leave.”

An awkward silence hung heavy between the two of them. Nailah scratched the back of her neck as she refused to look Rafiel in the eyes. “...Sorry to continue this subject, since I know all too well how hard it can be to talk about things like this, but how have you dealt with your memories of the Serenes Massacre in the years since?”

“Don’t worry, asking me this is perfectly fine, I assure you.” Somehow, Nailah could sense Rafiel wasn’t being entirely truthful about that. “To give you the short answer, I didn’t.” Rafiel finally said after considering the question momentarily. “The long answer is, I’ve had to be strong for Reyson and Leanne and my father for so long that I just tried not to think about it. In order for them to mourn, somebody had to carry on like normal. Though... I suppose Reyson and Leanne are adults now, as you said. They don’t need me to be strong now. There’s really no point to me avoiding thinking about it anymore, is there?” Rafiel’s normally cheerful expression became uncharacteristically gloomy, and he looked away from Nailah, down at the floor.

Without even thinking about it, Nailah grabbed one of Rafiel’s hands under the table and clasped it in both of her own. “Hey. Rafiel, look at me.” When he did, suddenly appearing very tired, she continued, giving his hand a small squeeze. “It wasn’t your fault. None of it was your fault. I know that sounds cliche, I just... I don’t know, I want you to at least know that before you think about it too much.”

In an instant, Rafiel’s expression lightened, and he managed one of the most sincere smiles she’d ever seen him have in her life. “Thank you, Nailah.” He said softly. “That means far more to me than you know.” 

A blush appeared on Nailah’s cheeks, and she let go of his hand, looking away out of embarrassment. “It was nothing.” She insisted. “Now, let’s move on. The next question is, are you in love with anyone, and do you have a significant other?”

“My, that’s a rather forthright question, isn’t it?” Now it was Rafiel’s turn to blush. “To answer it, however, yes I am in love with someone, and no I don’t have a significant other. I’ve never had the courage to confess to her, you see. I feel like she just sees me as a friend, and I don’t want to ruin that.” Despite Rafiel very obviously not looking her in the eyes, Nailah only wondered who ‘her’ was. Could he mean- no, it couldn’t be. Just because Rafiel was kind to her didn’t mean anything; after all, he was kind to everyone. He was a gentle heron and she was a scarred wolf. They couldn’t be more different.

Wait, did that mean that she wanted to date him? That would... explain a lot, now that Nailah thought about it. Such as the weird feelings she got when he laughed, or talked, or even just hummed. Oh, goddess, she really had fallen in love with Rafiel, hadn’t she? She couldn’t let him find out, though. It’d ruin their friendship for sure.

“Nailah? Nailah, are you alright?” Rafiel’s worried voice calling out to her snapped Nailah out of her daze. She realized that he was leaning across the table, with his hand on her shoulder and his face less than a third of a meter away from hers. Her blush spread until it made her entire face beet red.

“Yes! Yes, I’m perfectly fine. Sorry, I didn’t mean to space out there and worry you.” Nailah responded quickly, perhaps too quickly. 

Though clearly unconvinced, Rafiel relented. “...Well, alright. What’s the next question, then?”

“I think I’m going to end it here, Rafiel. I’m not feeling too well.” Which was true, just not the full truth. She had left out the part about her feeling unwell being because of her feelings for him. People in love have a tendency to hide things like that before they’re ready to confess. By no means was Nailah one of those ready to confess.

“Are you sure-“ Rafiel, before he was cut off by a look from Nailah. They said their goodbyes and then headed in different directions to their respective homes.   
——————————————————  
Between a series of unusually troublesome classes, and the strange ending to his meeting with Nailah, Rafiel was thoroughly confused and exhausted by the day. He wanted nothing more than to skip dinner, lay down on his bed, and sleep until he forgot what happened. Not that that would be possible, since Rafiel had no doubt he was embarrassed enough to last him for another century, but he could certainly try. After the taxi he was taking reached his apartment building, he paid the driver and got out. Then, unfurling his great wings, he flew with a series of mighty flaps up the floors until he reached the one his apartment was on. 

At least that was one advantage the beorc would never have, though Rafiel had to wonder if the Serenes Massacre would have happened if they did have wings. Perhaps it would have allowed for greater understanding. Then again, none of the beast laguz had wings, yet they got along with the herons splendidly, if his friendship with Nailah was anything to go by. Or perhaps it would be better to say ‘former friendship’; Rafiel didn’t know, simply because he could not figure out what that last look had meant. He truly hoped she was not angry with him; not because he was afraid, for in his long life he had seen far scarier things, but because he didn’t want to live life without Nailah. 

He had fallen in love with her years ago, some time into becoming her friend, but had kept silent all this time. He had told himself that he could be content just being her friend, able to see her be happy. Now he just had to go and almost confess to her. Foolish, foolish, foolish. He hadn’t even had the guts to properly do it, to say outright ‘I love you, Nailah.’ Perhaps it was for the best, however. She was a strong-willed, mighty, and clever person, somebody who always knew what to say, as she had shown when talking to him about Serenes. He was just a frail feathered fool who wasn’t worth her time. Nailah was better off finding somebody better, deserved somebody better.

Taking his keys out of a pocket on his robes, Rafiel unlocked the door to his apartment and walked through, closing it behind him. Just as he finished locking it however, he heard unfamiliar footsteps in his apartment. Going through a mental checklist, Rafiel immediately knew it wasn’t Tibarn, Reyson’s boyfriend, partly because if it were him the most prominent sound would be his loud voice. To put it another way, Tibarn was banned from at least three libraries. The footsteps were heavier than those of a heron laguz, but lighter than those of a hawk laguz. It likely wasn’t Nailah either; she wasn’t one to visit people’s homes at odd times of the night. Which meant either he had a strange trespasser, or... oh, no. Reyson was going to be furious.

With a sigh, Rafiel walked into the living room. There, Leanne sat on the couch watching a movie in the dark, seemingly alone. “Oh, h-hello, brother.” Her nervousness was plainly on display in her voice. This was definitely because of him. “Alright Naesala, you can come out now.” Rafiel said, clearly weary. From under the couch a shape slid out smoothly, then jumped to his feet. 

“Please don’t tell me this is going to be like that time Reyson caught me.” Naesala remarked, half jokingly, though he did look ready to run at any moment.

“Don’t be so nervous, Naesala. I won’t mention this to Reyson if he doesn’t catch you too. I have no problem with you dating Leanne. Just... please don’t hide under our couch, even if it is Reyson arriving. I can assure you that it won’t protect you.” Rafiel then turned on the light in the room, causing Naesala to wince slightly as he got used to it. “What movie are you two watching anyways?”

“A nature documentary!” Leanne exclaimed, a sparkle in her eyes. Rafiel leaned to look at the screen, and sure enough, there were two deers cuddling on the screen. Wait... Rafiel narrowed his eyes. Oh no. Oh, they weren’t cuddling at all. “Leanne, I think it’s time for bed.”

His younger sister pouted and turned off the TV, and was standing up to leave for bed until something occurred to her. Rafiel usually didn’t like the result when ideas occurred to her, mainly the result for him. “Say, brother... why did your meeting with Miss Nailah end so early? Weren’t you supposed to have arrived home an hour later than this?” Yes, there it was, the part that hurt.

“Yes, well... things didn’t exactly work out.” Rafiel admitted. “It isn’t something you should worry about, however. Just get some rest.” Before he even finished speaking, he knew Leanne wasn’t going to listen. He really didn’t know where she and Reyson got their stubbornness from.

“Not a chance!” Leanne responded without hesitation. “If you don’t want me to worry, brother, stop making me worry! You’re always cheerful after you get to see Miss Nailah! Yet this time you seem so... upset. Tell us what’s wrong, or we can’t help you.”

“Us? We? I have a part in this?” Naesala asked with a raised eyebrow, only to be silenced by a glare from Leanne. “Er, I mean, yes, please tell us what’s wrong, Mr Rafiel.”

“Well...” Despite his hesitation, Rafiel could see there was no chance Leanne was letting him out of this. Besides, maybe she had the right idea. Maybe it was finally time to talk about what was wrong. “Alright. I’ve been in love with Nailah for years, to start. I first realized I was in love with her when-”

“Oh, you can skip all of that. I already know and explained it to him weeks ago.” Leanne said, waving away his explanation before it could begin.

One, twice, Rafiel blinked, thoroughly confused. “Was I really that obvious?”

“Yes.” Leanne and Naesala simultaneously responsed. “Though I will say I don’t mind hearing how you fell in love again, it’s really quite sweet.” Naesala added.

“Oh.” Despite himself, Rafiel found that he was blushing madly yet again. “Well, then I’ll skip ahead, I suppose. Today, we met for an interview, and she asked me if I was in love with anyone or had a significant other. I told her that I was in love, though I didn’t say it was her, but I mentioned I hadn’t confessed yet. She then got into this strange mood and ended the interview early. I don’t know what to make of it... I’m just glad I didn’t actually confess, because I’m sure she’d reject me and our friendship would be over.”

When the other two heard that, Naesala nearly fell over laughing, while Leanne sighed and hit her hand against her face. “Rafiel...” Leanne began, suddenly very weary for some reason. “I don’t know how else to break this to you, so I’ll just say it to you outright. She most likely thinks you meant somebody else when you said you were in love with someone and it upset her, which if I’m right is really just sad. In other words, Nailah is in love with you too. It’s almost as obvious with her as it is with you.”

For a moment Rafiel just sat there, unable to believe what he’d just heard. Then: “She is?”

“Yes.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Oh.” Rafiel placed his head into his hands, blushing even more brightly. “Well, this changes everything.” He looked up at Leanne once again, still unconvinced. “Are you absolutely certain about this?”

Leanne looked like she was about to explode with frustration, and suddenly Rafiel realized that he may have made a big mistake. “No matter how many times you ask, the answer is going to be yes.” Naesala advised, stroking his hand through Leanne’s hair to calm her down. “If you don’t believe her, go ask Nailah. I’m sure you’ll get the same answer.”

“I, uh, I see...” Rafiel responded, his voice trailing. “I think I’m going to go to bed. You two, don’t do anything you wouldn’t do in front of me whilevin the apartment. Oh, and Naesala, be sure to leave before 7, Reyson’s coming to visit by then. I don’t need any fighting happening here, I have a lot to think about.”

He actually had very little to think about, but often that was worse. Many people prefer to have much to think about before making a major decision, and Rafael, unfortunately for him, was one of those people.  
——————————————————  
“Easy there, Nailah. Don’t overdo it.”

Pausing a moment, Nailah regained her composure. That’s right, she was no longer in Hatari, she was in Begnion, in a gym owned by her friend Titania. Just now, she had been giving it her all against a punching bag, pushing herself and tiring easily. “...Sorry, Titania. My bad.” It was easy to lose herself, exercising in a way so similar to her old life, which definitely a downside sometimes. However, that was exactly why she did it. She couldn’t ever allow herself to forget the violence of that time, and how much she had done for herself and Volug to escape it.

“Here, drink this. It’s on the house.” Titania tossed a water bottle, which Nailah caught and obeyed Titania’s instructions. No downside to a free drink after all. “What’s going on?” The beorc woman asked. “You’re usually driven, but this is more than driven. This is frustrated.”

“Oh, you know.” Nailah said with a sigh as she finished the bottle. “Love troubles. I think the guy I like is in love with somebody else. I’m not angry with him about it, I’ve never been brave enough to confess after all, I’m just angry at... myself.”

Raising an eyebrow, Titania looked Nailah up and down. “You think he’s in love with somebody else, eh? Why’s that?”

“He told me that he was in love with a woman, but hadn’t confessed yet. All of a sudden I felt jealous and frustrated, so I went home. Then this morning I came here.” Nailah explained briefly.

“Nailah,” Titania began. “Have you considered yet that the woman he wanted to confess to was actually you?”

The words hit Nailah like a bullet. “No, I haven’t, actually.” She answered, blushing, suddenly feeling like the fool she apparently was. “Shit, he was confessing to me, wasn’t he? Fuck!”

In spite of her best efforts, Titania couldn’t stop herself from laughing her heart out. “What’s going on over there?” Oh, no. Nailah recognized that voice as Titania’s wife Petrine. An imperious woman, with a body almost as muscular as Titania or Nailah, she could be hard to get along with but, in Nailah’s experience, usually meant well. Usually being the key word.

“Hello, dear.” Titania greeted, in between giggles. “I’m sorry for disturbing you, I was just talking with Nailah, and it turns out she didn’t even realize when a guy was confessing to her.” Though she was glared at by Nailah, Titania didn’t even flinch. It wasn’t like Nailah could be surprised; in a fight between the two of them, it was impossible to know which would win. It was one of many reasons why she respected the beorc.

Though she rolled her eyes with a smile at Titania’s laughter, Petrine did look at Nailah with curiosity. “So who’s the unfortunate guy and what makes him special?” Cruel as she could be at times, Petrine was probably the expert at this sort of thing, since Titania had fallen in love with her even when her personality was much worse. Perhaps her advice on love could be useful. Besides, she was a good wife to Titania and took care of her, so she couldn’t be that bad.

“Rafiel,” Nailah answered at last. “It’s Rafiel. He’s the second oldest heron, a fellow professor at the university I teach at, and one of my closest friends.” For now, anyways, if things worked out either for the best or for the worst. Knowing her luck, just like her sexual preference, it could swing either way.

After thinking for a moment, Petrine’s face showed that she recognized the name. “Ah! Rafiel, he was Mist’s favorite professor when she had him, remember Titania?” Mist was their adopted daughter, who had recently been accepted into medical school. At her wife’s curious nod, Petrine continued. “She gave him so much credit for helping her learn the Ancient Language, you’d think he did it singlehandedly. Back then I thought she was exaggerating, but if you think so highly of him Nailah, then, well, perhaps it wasn’t all that far off.”

“Indeed.” Nailah said, fondly thinking of Rafiel’s passion for teaching. “That does sound like him. He cares so much about the wellbeing of his students, he wears himself out. Despite that, he won’t have it any other way.” As stubborn as his siblings, and he didn’t even realize it, Nailah thought to herself. “It’s part of why I fell in love with him. Despite being so frail and having such a gentle personality, he really gives it his all when helping others, even me. He truly is a remarkable person.”

“Yeah? That so? Well, if he’s like that he’s still only half as amazing as Titania,” At this Petrine blew a kiss to her wife. “But he does sound like a great guy for you to date. So what’s stopping you?”

“The fact that he’s too good for me.”

“Ah, I should have expected as much. Well, he’s not, I don’t know what else to tell you.” Petrine concluded with a shrug.

“Clearly he doesn’t think he’s too good for you, since he wanted to confess to you. Why don’t you take his advice, since you value him so highly?” Titania offered. “Even if he did think he was too good for you, though, you’re both wrong about that. From what you’ve said, I can imagine you both love, care for, and support each other. So stop worrying about silly things like that when that’s what you’re too good for. Okay?”

At first opening her mouth to argue further, Nailah closed it. No, they were right. Strength wasn’t ignoring her feelings for Rafiel because he deserved better, it was confessing to him to give him the choice and see what he wanted. “...You’ve both given me much to think about. I thank you for all your advice. I’ll be certain to put it to good use.”

“It was nothing. You can rely on us any time.” Titania said with a smile, while even Petrine managed an acknowledging nod.

However, Nailah had told one small lie, the same one as Rafiel: that she had much to think about. Unlike him, however, she’d already made up her mind.  
——————————————————  
As he stepped outside the building he taught in, with lectures done for the day, Rafiel stretched and looked up at the sky thoughtfully. Even with everything that had had happened yesterday, at least today had been much easier. So far, at least; between Tibarn, Reyson, and Naesala, it remained to be seen what trouble coming home would bring. In a way, though, he enjoyed watching his siblings lead their own hectic lives. True, he preferred a peaceful life himself, but change wasn’t necessarily so bad. Maybe it was time to accept that it had happened to the world and to his life alike. Just as the world would never go back to before Serenes, his relationship with Nailah would never go back to before yesterday. All that remained was to see it through to the end.

Taking out his phone, he scrolled through the numbers in it until he reached Nailah’s. However, just before he pressed the call button, his phone began buzzing as he received a call of his own. It was from Nailah; it seemed that she had gotten the same idea. With a smile on his face, Rafiel accepted the call.

“Hey, Rafiel. You’re done with your lectures now, right?” A pause. “No, don’t answer that. I already know it is, you’ve talked to me about it so often. I... wanted to apologize for leaving so quickly yesterday. I don’t know what came over me, it was incredibly rude.”

“No, I was in the wrong, not you.” Rafiel replied hurriedly. “I’m sorry for making you so uncomfortable. Please, explain to me what I did so I can avoid doing it in the future.”

“Oh, Rafiel...” Nailah sighed, and Rafiel worried that he had messed up once again. “You didn’t do anything wrong, or make me uncomfortable. It’s... hard to explain.” Another pause. “Say, why don’t you come over to my place so we can talk about it in person? We can watch a movie together afterwards, if you’d like. I have some good ones.”

“Okay. Sounds good. I’ll be over in... half an hour or so.”

“Great. See you then.”

At the beep of his call ending, Rafiel slowly lowered his phone down, and clutched it to his chest. His heart felt like it was about to burst with excitement. Was this a date? Goddess, they had never clarified whether it was a date. It sure felt like a date. Just in case it was, he had something to do before arriving.  
——————————————————  
When the doorbell of Nailah’s apartment rang, she was most of the way through furiously washing the dishes. “Hey, Volug. Can you get that for me?” She called out to her adoptive little brother in the Ancient Language. Volug spoke the common tongue on a basic level, but even after their several years of living here, he still only spoke the Ancient Tongue fluently. As such, he rarely left the apartment without her or one of his friends with fluency in the Ancient Language, such as If staying home most of the time bothered him, however, he did not show it.

After Volug answered the door, a conversation followed, which Nailah dismissed as normal at first. The conversation was still going on when she finished the dishes, however, which caught her interest. Micaiah was busy today, so it must be...

“Rafiel!” She rushed to the door, relief in her voice. Volug turned to look at her, and as he did, there indeed was Rafiel in front of him. “You’re nearly half an hour late. I was so worried about you!”

“You have my sincerest apologies. I was getting this for you.” In his arms he held a stuffed wolf, which he held forward for her to take. “I didn’t know if you liked flowers so I got you this instead, since I thought you might find it cute like I do.” Was he flirting with her? With Rafiel being the way he was, it was impossible to tell.

With a small smile, Nailah took the stuffed wolf in her left hand and squeezed it to her chest. “Apology accepted. Just don’t worry me like that, you silly heron.” Taking Rafiel’s left hand in her right, she led him further in, pulling him onto the couch beside her. “You are alright though?” She asked as soon as they sat down, putting the stuffed wolf on the ground in front of her but not letting go of his hand.

“Of course. And I’m even better, now that I’ve gotten to speak to you.” There was no way he wasn’t flirting that time. It was rather smooth, too, which made Nailah giggle.

“In that case, let’s get right to it. I have something I want to tell you, Rafiel.” She said, meeting his gaze.

“As do I. Shall we say it together?” He replied simply, placing his free hand on her cheek.

“I love you.” They said in perfect unison.

Then, they brought their lips together, into a kiss both passionate and gentle, fiery and cool. As they broke the kiss, they stared into each other’s eyes as they caught their breaths. “Goddess, I’m sorry. I should have confessed to you so much sooner. Can you be any more perfect?” Rafiel said breathlessly.

“You keep stealing my lines, love.” Nailah responded with a playful grin. “I should be thanking the goddess, really, for having such a wonderful man fall in love with me, and curse her for making me act like a fool and not realize my own feelings for him.” At Rafiel’s deep blush, she laughed and kissed him again and they continued their strange mix of apologies, flirts, and compliments for what felt like forever, but was actually around five minutes.

Soon after, they watched a movie together, just as planned. It was a cheesy romantic comedy, and both Nailah and Rafiel had fun laughing at all of the corny lines. Not once did they let go of each other’s hands however, as if telling each other that they would never hide their feelings again. When the movie ended, Nailah turned to wish Rafiel a safe trip home, only to find he had fallen asleep on her shoulder. “Well, alright. Let’s sleep together here for tonight. Volug?” In a moment, the younger wolf laguz was at attention. “Would you please call his apartment and let his siblings know that Rafiel will be staying with me, and won’t be coming home tonight?” As she listened to Volug talk to the younger herons on the phone, Nailah slowly drifted off to sleep herself.

Though Reyson and Leanne had been left with an unfortunate misunderstanding of what their older brother had spent the night doing, thanks in large part to poor wording from Nailah, the two new lovers had not had a happier night before that one. Though they each came from painful pasts, they had at long last found understanding and solace in each other.


End file.
